| In NFL Race
Case Summoned Lawyer Said His Secretary
Did All Filings Now Feb 12 Receipt
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Patreon Maxwell
Book
SDNY COURTHOUSE,
Oct 20 – In the racial
discrimination case against
the National Football League
by Brian Flores and others, on
May 2, 2022 U.S. District
Court for the Southern
District of New York Judge
Valerie E. Caproni held a
hearing. Inner City Press live
tweeted it here
and below.
On July 1 Flores'
lawyers wrote
to Judge Caproni (letter on
Patreon here)
requesting (and attaching)
"appropriate discovery" -
Wigdor's letter to Loretta
Lynch including about Roger
Godell's compensation and
relationships with law firms,
and Lynch's letter of June 27
calling the requests "entirely
outside the scope of
permissible discovery."
But not so fast.
On July 18, Judge Caproni
granted the coaches' request
to put off their deadlines to
answer the NFL's motion to
compel arbitration, pending
her decision on the coaches'
request for discovery. Order
on Patreon here.
The NFL
filed a notice of
interlocutory appeal, and on
August 21 wrote to Judge
Caproni formally raising the
holding in Coinbase v. Bielski
"that a district court must
stay its pre-trial and trial
proceedings while an
interlocutory appeal under 9
USC 16(a) is ongoing."
On August 22
Judge Caproni endorsed the
letter and stayed the case:
"MEMO ENDORSEMENT on re: [114]
Letter filed by The National
Football League, Denver
Broncos, Houston NFL Holdings,
L.P., New York Football
Giants, Inc. ENDORSEMENT:
Application GRANTED. The
August 30, 2023, conference is
CANCELLED, and all deadlines
are STAYED. The Clerk of Court
is respectfully directed to
STAY the case. SO ORDERED.
(Signed by Judge Valerie E.
Caproni on 8/21/2023)."
Jump cut to June
17, 2025 when on Steve Wilks'
lawyer, this: "ORDERED that
Mr. Caspino is ordered to show
cause why the Court should not
refer him to the disciplinary
panel of this Court to
consider whether he should be
sanctioned for his conduct."
After he
responded on July 31 he was
ordered to appear in SDNY on
August 25. On August 21 he
wrote in that he can't come,
being due to appear on Orange
County Superior Count on a
motion for summary judgment,
adding that "it would be an
undue hardship for me to have
to travel to New York City."
On August 25
Judge Caproni pushed the
proceeding back to August 26.
After that Caspino wrote in
again that he cannot come.
Judge Caproni denied his
request to appear by phone.
Then at 2:45 pm
Judge Caproni took to the
bench, confirmed that Caspino
was not present, and said she
will issue an order to show
cause why he should not be
sanctioned.
On September 26
Inner City Press covered the
hearing, including
Caspino: I have
never myself filed a document
on ECF or PACER in my 30 year
career. I am not a tech
person.
Judge: So you're
trying to blame it all on your
secretary...
Judge: Tell me
why I should not refer you for
discipline.
Caspino: I could
not be in two places at once.
Judge: I want a
declaration from your client
that he never paid you any
money. Adjourned
On October 3 the
former paralegal sent in a
declaration that he was
charged with gathering the
papers for Caspino's pro hac
application in the case
involving Coach Steve Wilks,
but did not keep the papers.
Wilks sent a
declaration that he was not
charged.
On October 6,
Judge Caproni asked more
questions: "by October 20,
2025, Mr. Caspino must provide
the Court (1) proof of
credit/debit card or check
payment for the Certificates
of Good Standing obtained in
the January/February 2025
timeframe, referenced by Dkt.
162-1 Paragraph 5-7, and (2)
proof from the State Bar of
California that a request for
a Certificate of Good Standing
was made on Mr. Caspino's
behalf between January 23,
2025, and February 13, 2025.
SO ORDERED. (Signed by Judge
Valerie E. Caproni on
10/6/2025)
On October 20
Caspino filed a copy of a
State Bar of California
receipt for $41 on February
12, 2025.
More on X for
Subscribers here
and Substack here
Inner City Press
will continue to cover the
case.
The case is is
Flores, et al. v. The National
Football League, et al.,
22-cv-871 (Caproni)
***
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